28 Facts About Tansen

In 1562, at about the age of 60, Tansen joined Akbar's court, and his performances became the subject of many court historians.

Tansen was a composer, musician and vocalist, to whom many compositions have been attributed in northern regions of the Indian subcontinent.

Tansen was an instrumentalist who popularized and improved musical instruments.

Tansen is among the most influential personalities in the North Indian tradition of Indian classical music, called Hindustani.

Tansen is remembered for his epic Dhrupad compositions, creating several new rags, as well as for writing two classic books on music, Sri Ganesh Stotra and Sangita Sara.

Tansen's biography is unclear and many conflicting accounts exist, with some common elements.

Historical facts about Tansen are difficult to extract from the extensive and contradictory legends that surround him.

Tansen's father Mukund Ram was a wealthy poet and accomplished musician of Gwalior, who for some time was a Hindu temple priest in Varanasi.

Tansen learnt and perfected his art in the city of Gwalior, in modern-day Madhya Pradesh.

Tansen began his career from the Imperial Court of Gwalior Kingdom and spent most of his adult life in the court and patronage of the Hindu king of Rewa, Raja Ramchandra Singh, where Tansen's musical abilities and studies gained him widespread fame and following.

Tansen was a close confidant of Raja Ramchandra Singh, and they used to make music together.

Tansen's reputation brought him to the attention of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, who sent messengers to Raja Ramchandra Singh, requesting Tansen to join the musicians at the Mughal court.

Tansen initially refused to go and sought to retire instead into solitude, but Raja Ramchandra Singh sent him to Akbar's court.

In 1562, about the age of sixty, Tansen who was still a Vaishnava musician, arrived for the first time in Akbar's court.

Tansen's influence was central to create the Hindustani classical ethos as we know today.

Tansen was instrumental in establishing the very first musical gharana the "Gwalior Gharana".

Tansen's talent was recognised early and it was the ruler of Gwalior who conferred upon the maestro the honorific title 'Tansen'.

From Haridas, Tansen acquired not only his love for dhrupad but his interest in compositions in the local language.

Hagiographies mention that Tansen met the Sufi mystic Muhammad Ghaus.

The presence of musicians like Tansen in Akbar's court was an attempt to accept and integrate the Hindu and Muslim traditions within the Mughal Empire.

Tansen received the honorific title Mian there, and the name Mian Tansen.

Tansen composed and performed compositions dedicated to eulogizing kings and emperor Akbar.

Tansen married to a girl named Hussaini who was from Gwalior, and from this marriage he had four sons and one daughter namely: Surat Sen, Sarat Sen, Tarang Khan, Bilas Khan and Saraswati.

One legend states that Tansen had been married to a daughter of Akbar named Mehrunissa, for which he had to convert to Islam.

Scholars states reason to refute the viewpoint of Tansen being converted to Islam due to his belief on Hindu tradition and various composition on Hindu gods.

Tansen's remains were buried in the mausoleum complex of his Sufi master Shaikh Muhammad Ghaus in Gwalior.

Tansen is a central character, though remaining mostly in the backdrop, in the historical musical Baiju Bawra, based on the life of his eponymous contemporary.

Finally, Tansen sang to the elephant who calmed down and the emperor was able to ride him.